1,720,987 research outputs found
Assessment of Excess Mortality in Italy in 2020–2021 as a Function of Selected Macro-Factors
Full text linkBackground: Excess mortality (EM) can reliably capture the impact of a pandemic, this study aims at assessing the numerous factors associated with EM during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. Methods: Mortality records (ISTAT 2015–2021) aggregated in the 610 Italian Labour Market Areas (LMAs) were used to obtain the EM P-scores to associate EM with socioeconomic variables. A two-step analysis was implemented: (1) Functional representation of EM and clustering. (2) Distinct functional regression by cluster. Results: The LMAs are divided into four clusters: 1 low EM; 2 moderate EM; 3 high EM; and 4 high EM-first wave. Low-Income showed a negative association with EM clusters 1 and 4. Population density and percentage of over 70 did not seem to affect EM significantly. Bed availability positively associates with EM during the first wave. The employment rate positively associates with EM during the first two waves, becoming negatively associated when the vaccination campaign began. Conclusions: The clustering shows diverse behaviours by geography and time, the impact of socioeconomic characteristics, and local governments and health services’ responses. The LMAs allow to draw a clear picture of local characteristics associated with the spread of the virus. The employment rate trend confirmed that essential workers were at risk, especially during the first wave
Economic deprivation as a predictor of the direction of lethal violence. an analysis of italian provinces
No full textResearch on suicide and homicide rates has neglected an integrated model seeking to explain social variation in the direction of lethal violence. The present investigation explores the association between measures of social deprivation on the relative incidence of suicide over homicide in Italian provinces. Data refer to official government sources on lethal violence rates and measures of social deprivation. The central dependent variable (SHR) is the tendency towards suicide measured as the suicide rate divided by the sum of the suicide and homicide rates. Data were available for 102 Italian provinces in the Census year 2001. The percentage of the population marked by two indicators of deprivation (low education, household population density) were negatively associated with the SHR. The results are largely consistent with a stream of previous research that connects deprivation with a relatively high probability for disadvantaged populations to direct aggression outwardly in the form of homicide rather than inwardly in the form of suicide. The present study specifies which elements of deprivation best predict the direction of violence and is the first study for the Italian context
Peritoneal mesothelioma in Italy: trends and geography of mortality and incidence
No full textPeritoneal mesothelioma, a very rare and lethal malignancy, has not been investigated as extensively as pleural mesothelioma, although the role of asbestos exposure in its occurrence is well-known. Data from Italy are relevant, as it was the largest European asbestos producer, and asbestos was widely used in many economic activities
Pathology reporting of malignant pleural mesothelioma first diagnosis: a population-based approach
No full textAccurate pathologic diagnosis and reporting in malignant pleural mesothelioma are essential for clinical care, and cancer registration. Practical guidelines for pathologists are provided in publications and textbooks but it is unclear how these recommendations are applied in routine practice. We investigated the characteristics of pathology reports, and the extent to which they meet guideline standards. We reviewed 819 pathology reports relating to a first diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma. Data sources were a regional section of the Italian network of the Mesothelioma Registry (2001-2014) and a pathology archive (1990-2000). We evaluated tumor characteristics, the diagnosis field including terminology and immunohistochemistry (IHC) workup, and report completeness (the proportion of items recorded). We investigated also two IHC panels identified by the most used markers in current practical guidelines, one best suited for epithelioid mesotheliomas (combinations of at least 2 positive and at least 2 negative mesothelioma markers) and the other best suited for sarcomatoid mesotheliomas (positive mesothelioma markers plus cytokeratins). Reports (753 histology, 66 cytology, IHC-confirmed 86%) were 74% complete and always narrative. Missing data were related to clinical history (76%), tumor laterality (61%), specimen size (38%), and histological subtype (23%). The proportion of cases with IHC was higher for epithelioid (90%) than sarcomatoid mesothelioma (87%). Compliance to IHC recommendations was higher for epithelioid (59%) than sarcomatoid mesothelioma (11%). The mean number of stains was significantly higher for sarcomatoid than epithelioid mesothelioma (p<0.000; Kruskal-Wallis test). Our findings show that although guidelines are designed to improve actual reporting practices, there is ample room for improvement in their application to standardize the diagnosis of mesothelioma. Synoptic pathology reporting needs to be implemented to better utilize pathology information
Understanding excess mortality in 2022: The dual impact of COVID-19 and heatwaves on the Italian elderly population
No full textIn this study, we employ a comprehensive approach to model the concurrent effects of the COVID-19 epidemic and heatwaves on all-cause excess mortality. Our investigation uncovers distinct peaks in excess mortality, notably among individuals aged 80 years and older, revealing a strong positive correlation with excess temperatures (ET) during the summer of 2022 in Italy. Furthermore, we identify a notable role played by COVID-19 hospitalizations, exhibiting regional disparities, particularly during the winter months. Leveraging functional data regression, we offer robust and coherent insights into the excess mortality trends observed in Italy throughout 2022
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Trends in hip and distal femoral fracture rates in Italy from 2007 to 2017
Full text linkOsteoporosis-related fractures are a growing public health concern worldwide due to high societal and economic burden. The study aims to assess trends in incidence rates of hip and distal femoral fractures and in the use of anti-osteoporosis drugs in Italy between 2007 and 2017. Patients with hip and distal femoral fractures (ICD-9-CM codes 820.x and 821.x) were identified in the Italian National Hospital Discharge Database while anti osteoporosis medication data were retrieved from the National Observatory on the Use of Medicines Database. A joinpoint regression analysis was performed to identify the years where the trends in incidence rates of hip and distal femoral fractures changed significantly; the average annual percentage change for the period of observation was estimated. Hospitalizations for femoral fractures were 991,059, of which 91.4% were hip fractures and 76.5% occurred in women. Age-standardized hip fractures rate per 100,000 person-years decreased both in women (-8.7%; from 789.9 in 2007 to 721.5 in 2017) and in men (-4.3%; from 423.9 to 405.6), while the rate of distal femoral fractures increased by 23.9% in women (from 67.78 to 83.95) and 22.7% in men (from 27.76 to 34.06). These changes were associated with an increment in the use of anti-osteoporosis drugs from 2007 to 2011 (from 9.1 to 12.4 DDD/1000 inhabitants/day), followed by a plateau in the period 2012-2017. The use of bisphosphonates increased progressively from 2007 to 2010 (from 8.2 to 10.5 DDD/1000 inhabitants/day), followed by a plateau and then decreased from 2015 onwards. The decreasing trend of hip fractures could be related to a major intake of anti-osteoporosis medications while the increment of distal femoral fractures might be due to population aging and to the use of bisphosphonates and denosumab. Further research is needed to identify and implement interventions to prevent hip and distal femoral fractures
Methodological approaches to evaluate the over-time mortality in SENTIERI epidemiological surveillance system: a focus on cohort analyses
No full text: The SENTIERI Project analyses the health profile of the populations residing in Italian national priority contaminated sites in specific calendar periods using a cross-sectional approach. An aspect that has not been evaluated so far is the analysis over a long period, for understanding the changes in health profiles over time and studying them also in function of the changes occurred in the territories. This article studies temporal trends by birth cohort and calendar period for overall mortality and lung cancer mortality from 1980 to 2018, separately for men and women, for three sites: Priolo (Sicily Region, Southern Italy), Pitelli (Liguria Region, Northern Italy), and Terni-Papigno (Umbria Region, Central Italy). A method for selecting the temporal model that best fits the data is then proposed. General mortality presents complex temporal profiles when considering cumulative risks, and usually the most important temporal axis is the birth cohort for cumulative SMRs (i.e., after adjusting for trends in the reference population). For lung cancer, the most important time axis is the birth cohort and the age-cohort model is the most appropriate, in particular for men of Priolo and Terni
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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